Laying it on the line
by Kerberus Pup
Summary: My take on Robbies performance at the Full Moon Jam. RADE One sided.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Victorious or any of the characters. I also don't own the song that I'll be appropriating for this fic; it belongs to the person that wrote it, the band that plays it and the record company that has their contract.

He sat on a stool behind the closed curtain tuning his guitar, hoping that he wouldn't mess this up. And more importantly that she didn't kill him the first chance she got. He had been planning this for a while now, writing the song, coming up with the right lyrics, the right music, the right time. Time and effort had help him to find the right sound, his heart to write the right lyrics and now the school had provided the right moment, The Full Moon Jam. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves as he heard his name being announced.

"And now for our last act of the night, Robbie Shapiro." said Sikowitz in his weird voice as the curtain came up and revealed him to the crowd and them to him. He could see the surprise on the faces of most of the gathered students and faculty; after all they were expecting Robbie Shapiro 'nerd', not how he was now.

Tonight was important to him, so he had dropped the mask he wore like a favorite pair of jeans and left his surrogate, Rex, at home. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans, chains hanging from the back pocket, a pair of old black and white converse and a dark blue t-shirt bearing the writing 'Good, Bad, I'm the guy with the gun.' under a picture of Ash. His usually curly hair hung down around his head, a few strands in front of his face almost completely hiding his mike, his glasses replaced by a pair of contact lenses. All in all he looked like a mix between a skate punk and musician, which is exactly what he was.

"Hi my names Robbie, but you already know that," a small smirk that wasn't totally forced appearing on his face "uh tonight I'm gonna be playing a song that I've been writing for a while and recently finished. It's called 'Just the Girl' and I hope you enjoy it."

(**A/N:** 'Just the Girl' belongs to The Click Five; I'm only borrowing it because it's a great song and fits this story.)

He started slowly strumming on his Gibbson, speeding up as the lights brightened, illuminating the house band made up of seniors as they joined in. Searching the crowd, he found her, closed his eyes, centered her in his mind and slowly began to sing.

"She's cold and she's cruel  
>But she knows what she's doin'"<p>

As he sang memories began to unfurl in his mind, memories that had helped him write this song.

"She pushed me in the pool  
>At our last school reunion<br>She laughs at my dreams  
>But I dream about her laughter<br>Strange as it seems  
>She's the one I'm after"<p>

Like the fact that she had nicknamed him Rex when they were younger and he had been happy because he'd thought that she thought he was tough, then she told him it was because he had spindly little arms.

"She's cold and she's cruel  
>But she knows what she's doin'<br>She pushed me in the pool  
>At our last school reunion<br>She laughs at my dreams  
>But I dream about her laughter<br>Strange as it seems  
>She's the one I'm after"<p>

"Cause she's bittersweet  
>She knocks me off of my feet"<p>

Sometimes literally, he still had the scar on his leg from when she knocked him off his skateboard when they were 10.

"And I can't help myself  
>I don't want anyone else<br>She's a mystery"

One that he was determined to solve, or spend the rest of his life trying.

"She's too much for me  
>But I keep comin' back for more<br>She's just the girl I'm lookin' for"

Opening his eyes Robbie stood up, letting his guitar hang in a more comfortable grip as played.

"She can't keep a secret  
>For more than an hour<br>She runs on 100 proof attitude power  
>And the more she ignores me<br>The more I adore her"

The first time he realized that he had asked himself if he was a masochist. Long hours of contemplation later, he came to the conclusion that when it was for Jade…he was.

"What can I do?  
>I'd do anything for her"<p>

As proven by the fact that he had let her talk him into getting matching star tattoos.

"Cause she's bittersweet  
>She knocks me off of my feet<br>And I can't help myself  
>I don't want anyone else"<p>

No matter how many times he tried to like someone else, Tori, Cat, Trina and even random girls in school, his mind and his heart always went back to her.

"She's a mystery  
>She's too much for me<br>But I keep comin' back for more  
>She's just the girl I'm lookin' for"<p>

"The way she sees it's me  
>On her caller ID<br>She won't pick up the phone  
>She'd rather be alone"<p>

She'd started doing that when he gave his nickname to the puppet that his father gave him a few months before he died. Rex Powers, the puppet he'd let talk for him as he retreated into himself.

"But I can't give up just yet  
>Cause every word she's ever said<br>Is still ringin' in my head  
>Still ringin' in my head"<p>

'_You can't keep doing this, that thing's not you Robbie. Please, talk to me, be my Rex again please.' _

"She's cold and she's cruel  
>But she knows what she's doin'<br>Knows just what to say  
>So my whole day is ruined"<p>

She was the only one who could, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Cause she's bittersweet  
>She knocks me off of my feet<br>And I can't help myself  
>I don't want anyone else<br>She's a mystery  
>She's too much for me<br>But I keep comin' back for more"

Pulling himself from memories of time gone by he looked out at the crowd, students and teachers on their feet clapping along as he sung, some who had pick up the lyrics even singing along with him. Smiling he closed his eyes and let the memories take him once more.

"Cause she's bittersweet  
>She knocks me off of my feet<br>And I can't help myself  
>I don't want anyone else<br>She's a mystery  
>She's too much for me<br>But I keep comin' back for more  
>Oh, I keep comin' back for more<br>She's just the girl I'm lookin' for  
>Just the girl I'm lookin' for"<p>

Meeting a 7 year old girl who would become his best friend, her putting Band-Aids on him after his first fall off his skateboard, realizing his best friend was indeed a girl and he was in love with her, hiding behind Rex when his world shattered, losing his best friend, Jade telling everyone she was dating Beck. Finding it harder and harder to just stand by and watch their relationship, more and more of his old personality coming back after Rex's 'death', finally finishing the song he'd been writing since the day he realized he loved her. Every important memory, and not so important one, flowed through him and he put it all into his voice and his guitar.

"I'm lookin' for  
>I'm lookin' for<br>I'm lookin' for  
>Just the girl I'm lookin' for...oh"<p>

Opening his eyes as he strummed the last few chords, Robbie let his guitar hang from its strap as she looked down at Jade to find her ever present smirk still on her face, but something more than usual reflected in her eyes. Turning he found Beck, sitting next to her, who nodded when they locked eyes. A grin split his face as the audience began to applaud, but it wasn't about that, no it was about the fact that tonight he had taken another step closer to being himself and he had thrown his hat in the race for Jade West's heart.

Now all he had to do was survive Jade.

**The End**


End file.
